Review of Little White Lies

[Michelle Menezes]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Little White Lies" by JC Anderson.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Mia and Michael are ready to take their relationship to the next level. They're happy, and everything is going great until Mia's ex and first love comes back into the picture. Something is not right about Lucas, and his unhealthy obsession with Mia is becoming an obstacle in her new relationship with Michael.

Pity for Lucas quickly turns to fear as his lies start unraveling and a dark pattern of drug abuse and violence emerges. Staying away from him is not enough, as the more unhinged he becomes, the more Mia and Michael's lives are threatened. To what extent will Lucas go to get Mia back? Will the lovers ever be rid of him? How many more people will suffer due to his madness?

Little White Lies by JC Anderson is a romantic thriller with an interesting plot. The writing style is great, and it is written in the third person perspective focusing on three different characters. It describes the characters' mindsets, feelings, and emotions in detail, so it gave me an idea about each of their personalities. I liked the supporting characters more. They were equally important and did a great job in pushing the story forward.

Unfortunately, many things bothered me about the book. There were trigger warnings in the description, so I had mentally prepared myself for rape, drug abuse, and kidnapping, but what caught me off guard was the explicit underage sex scene. It was completely unnecessary and did nothing for the story. The author could have easily opted for a fade-to-black scene where sex would be implied, but describing a 13 and 17-year-old have sex was cringe-worthy.

There were also some inconsistencies with the age difference between Mia and Lucas. He is older than her by 4 years, but whenever their dating or sexual history comes up, the difference is shown to be 2 years. Apart from this, what annoyed me the most was the repetitiveness of certain things. Every third paragraph states that Mia cried or had tears in her eyes. I understand being emotional, but she would cry for the most trivial things. Then she would make a terrible decision and cry again.

When the characters were not crying, they were having sex. Every other chapter had it in detail. I have nothing against sex in a book, but only if it helps the plot move forward. I was so distracted by these two things that it took away my attention from the actual story. After a point, it's all I could see in the book.

Certain events also made me doubt the intelligence of the characters. Mia hangs out with Lucas at her home when her fiancé is not around and expects him to be understanding about it. What if the roles were reversed, and he was with his ex every evening when Mia wasn't around? Would she be as understanding? Later, when Michael finds out that Lucas is a convict and has a history of drug and domestic abuse, instead of warning her he decides not to tell her about it because she sees the good in people. He knows Lucas's intentions towards her and still keeps quiet.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars as the last 50 pages were fast-paced and had some good action. It also showed Mia's trauma and how everyone helped her with their love and support. I noticed a few errors in the book, but they did not affect the flow of the story. Since this book has sex and multiple triggers, I recommend it to readers who are above 18 years of age and enjoy romantic thrillers. People who are bothered by rape, kidnapping, and abuse should steer clear of the book.

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Little White Lies
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[Kaushiki Parihar]

I was thinking whether to read the book or not. Your detailed review saved me as this book is definitely not my taste. Thanks for the review.

[Vishnu Priya B]

I was considering choosing this book but from your review, it's clear that I'll not be enjoying it. However, I hope Mia and Michael managed to get rid of Lucas.

[Anjali Patil]

At first, I thought that the book would be really good from the title. But, after reading your review I have decided not to read it. Thanks for the insightful review. Great work.